Ads

IMG_20140929_171849

Went to about 3 different locations before I could find a Tim Hortons that wasn’t burned down, under construction, or closed.

IMG_20140929_171958

Anyways, a Timmy’s Pumpkin Pie Latte cost about $5. Talk about overpriced for half a cup of foam. Not sure if it they just made it wrong at this location, but it tasted like cardboard and I think it gave me food poisoning, i.e. sitting on the toilet for about 2 hours. Definitely not worth the $5; do not get this.

Tim Hortons Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

IMG_20140922_181607

Visited Chewy Junior yesterday after yoga. We got there just after they closed at 5:30PM, but the owner was there and was cool with us ordering. That’s the Blueberry on the bottom, and Double Chocolate Crunch at the top. Cream exploded from the sides. Delish-us. Go again soon.

Chewy Junior's Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

 

20140907_095639

 

The Laughing Bean on Hastings, a family run local business.  The owner always seems to be high on caffeine. When I asked them if they had PSLs, they told me It wasn’t the season for PSL yet, as it isn’t quite Fall. They still made me one. They had syrup from last year, I guess, which is slightly questionable.  The drink tasted strong enough of pumpkin, it was sorta too sweet, there was whip, and best of all, the caffeine is strong there! Cost about $5.

This could be a potential replacement once Fall comes around and they have it more readily available.

The Waves on Commercial Drive has become one of my favourite places to sit outside and read at any time of the day.  I think the barista that works during the day recognizes me as the quiet girl who always gets a lavender latte and blueberry muffin. Waves has a $2 latte deal going on right now, promoting their pumpkin pie latte:

IMG_20140911_173256

Unfortunately, this pumpkin pie latte didn’t come close to the Starbucks PSL. There wasn’t enough pumpkin flavor, although it was sweet enough, and there wasn’t any whip cream. The latte art was cute though. It’s worth the price, I suppose, but doesn’t quite hit the spot.

Tried the Starbucks instant VIA Pumpkin Spice Latte on my graveyard. It tasted strongly of milk powder, almost like a regular latte.. tres sweet. However, can adjust the amount of powder used… 140 calorie per packet when mixed with 240ml of hot water.

IMG_20140910_142732IMG_20140911_173043

Then, I tried it again on the following graveyard shift, but mixed it with coffee instead:

IMG_20140912_112919

Better this way. Less sweet, more caffeine, stayed alert all night. The mug is fucking awesome too, kept everything hot. It’s THERMOS brand, all the way from Intelligentsia in Los Angeles.

Overall, it’s fairly convenient to use, and only $7.50 before tax for a box of 4 packets. This could be a potential replacement for the original Starbucks PSL, but still not the same flavor. The search continues…

Sunday morning, post hiking the Wedgemount Lake Trail, couldn’t sleep, so went out for a quick coffee instead. Used one of my many McDonalds free coffee cards to pick up a medium PSL with skim milk:

20140914_075649

Not too sweet, different type of pumpkin taste than Starbucks, I think more of a fake sweetener taste… Leaves a strange aftertaste though, and there’s no whipped cream! All the syrup was also stuck at the bottom, but that’s probably because the staff at McD were so swamped (or incompetent). Caffeine content in McDonald’s coffee is usually decent, but I wasn’t feeling the kick today. Maybe because I slept badly for about 3 hours, and nothing will be able to save me now.

Starbucks PSL wins this round.  Although the McD PSL is about half the price, I still prefer the taste of the original. Here’s another comparison of the two: http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2013/10/pumpkin_spice_latte_throwdown.php

On another note.. Wedgemount Lake. This is what I live for:

SONY DSC

SONY DSC

Pictures don’t do it justice. I didn’t want to leave…

Starbucks brought back their Pumpkin Spice Latte right at the end of August instead of waiting until Fall this year, which was an absolutely brilliant business decision. Can’t resist the fake pumpkin taste, which turns out is not the best for you. Oh well, YOLO…  Got myself a nice Tall nonfat, half sweet PSL – with the whip, of course:

IMG_20140911_172859

Then, I started noticing that other coffee shops and restaurants were releasing PSLs too, and I got sorta excited! I really don’t like buying from Starbucks all the time, because it’s such a huge rip off for the logo on the cup and usually it’s not even that good. However, Starbucks is the only place I know that makes a decent PSL… Now, with so many other places offering PSLs, I can avoid buying from Starbucks! Time to hunt down the best PSL in the world (cuz Vancouver is the world)…